Silver Bells
by Aerodoxium
Summary: Two childhood friends, Red and Kotone, set out on a journey through Johto to take the Pokémon League Challenge. However, during their travels, some unexpected turn of events sets them off course.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1, Hasty Decisions

"Hey... Hey, Kotone... Wake up..." Something was repeatedly prodding my cheek while I was busy sleeping, making my teeth grind the soft flesh on the inner side of my mouth. Not only was it a bit irritating to my skin, frankly, it was a little annoying too.

"No..." I tiredly grumbled and swatted the cold hand away, turning over to just get hair all tangled in my face.

When it was the middle of summer with cool breezes and quiet afternoons, of course I wanted to sleep in. No plans, no company, no anything for distractions or worries. Plus, the fresh scent of flowers and the sound of flowing water nearby? Who wouldn't be tempted to sleep all day in those conditions?

"You're forgetting what day it is, aren't you...? 'Member how impatient the Professor is." A low voice muttered, accompanied by a little jab between my shoulder blades.

"The Professor..." I opened my eyes, squinting at the harsh light that beamed down through the window, "wait... Today is..."

"The big day." He finished for me.

I let out a cry of alarm and struggled to sit up, looking around as my hair clung to my face due to static.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no! Why didn't you tell me sooner?! Augh! We're gonna be late!" Forcing away the tiredness that stiffened my joints, I finally was able to stand up and hurry over to my dresser, almost tripping over my own feet.

"Calm down, calm down. I woke you up a bit early so we'd have time." My friend walked over, standing beside me as I tried to tame my gnarled mess of hair.

That was easy for him to say...

The teenager that stood by my side was named Red. He had atramentous, inky black hair which was as soft as silk all the time, and it ran down to the bottom of his neck. Most of it, however, was tucked away under a red and white baseball cap. Underneath the visor of the hat, though, there hid rubicund, inscrutable eyes, making it just about impossible to read his emotions. The rest of his pale-as-a-ghost face was also rather hollow, expressionless, and somber. One look at people and he was able to shut them up. Most of the time, people called him a mute because... Well, he never said much around strangers.

His stature was lanky and able-bodied, easy. The funniest part about that was, he had such an appetite, yet was so thin. On his shoulders hung a plain black tee, with a opened red overshirt with white sleeves and a white folded collar. Yellow straps from his backpack were able to be seen on his shoulders, too. On his hands, there were black fingerless gloves with white cuffs, although what purpose they served, I didn't know... They didn't keep his hands warm, so maybe it was just for the heck of it.

Finally, he wore dark blue jeans with a black belt, and the pants were so long and kind of loose, they covered half of his red and white sneakers.

He was a boy from Kanto... So people often wondered why he was living next-door to me, in New Bark Town... In Johto...

So, why was that?

When Red was little, his mother had a job in Johto, but his father wanted to travel in Kanto. So, the two ended up agreeing to pursue their goals, and his mother kept Red, and his father kept Red's faithful companion. A Pikachu. Why? Because he was going to train it and one day give it back to Red. Long story short, after he moved, we soon became best friends and grew up together, spending most of our time talking about nothing but adventuring through the Johto region.

"Then... While I get ready, you go... Chat with Mom or something." I walked to the back of him and pushed him towards my door, although I was merely about half his height, and he was much stronger.

"Ehh...? Why?" He asked with a flat tone of voice.

"Because," I shoved my shoulder against his backpack, making him stumble to the door, "I have to... Get changed and... All that..." Who knew it took so much effort just to push a guy a few feet across a hardwood floor? If anything, the floor should've made it easier... Maybe it was because his shoes provided traction.

Finally getting the hint though, he stood up straight and shrugged, twisting the doorknob, opening up my door. I waited patiently as he slowly walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. Once his footsteps faded down the stairs, I breathed a sigh and looked around my room for my clothing. Lime green pajamas and messy brunette hair... Not the proper attire for an important meeting.

As I'd mentioned before, the floor was hardwood. But in the middle, there was a blue rug in the middle of the floor, and in the corner, another rug, but of a creamy orange color with a salmon-colored border, and on that rug was my bed.

The comforter of the bed was an apple-red color with white sheets with red and white pillows. However, it was hard to tell just what was what at that moment, considering I had twisted up all the covers...

My wallpaper had been picked out by Mother. Blue with various types of little sequencing patterns running vertically. And right above my bed was a window with light green curtains, pouring in sunlight.

After tossing my pajamas into a basket, I quickly slipped on a black tank top, then a red, skin-tight shirt on over it, adjusting the white hood around my neck. Then, I pulled on my overalls, pressing down the wrinkles in the front, tugging on the straps. Instead of going down all the way like regular pants, though, the lower half of the overalls were shorts, just for the warmer weather in Johto.

Opening a drawer, I grabbed a pair of knee-high socks and sat down on the floor to put them on, tugging them about halfway over my legs, leaving only a small portion of the skin exposed. The next thing were my bright red shoes. After putting those on, occasionally walking in circles to get them on correctly, I stopped in front of the mirror again.

Normally, when it wasn't in an entangled, messy scrawl, my hair reached down to the middle of my back. But most of the time, it was up in twintails. So, grabbing my brush, I began to untangle it with tears in my eyes.

"Hey, your bag's out here." Came a muffled voice from the other side of the door, followed by a soft knock.

"Oh-You can come in now!" I called, picking up some little red rubber bands to tie my hair up with.

The door opened, and Red held my yellow bag in his hand, offering it to me as he walked inside.

Finally, I put my hair up, accepting my bag from him. He then placed a white cabbie hat with a red ribbon around it atop my head.

"Are we ready?" The boy asked.

"Ready." I confirmed.

And with that, we both turned and walked out of my room. I shut the door behind me, and we walked down the stairs, meeting my mother there.

"Oh, looks like you're both set! Professor Elm and a special guest are waiting at the Lab for you! Don't want to keep them waiting, mm?" The dark-haired, middle-aged woman's chocolate eyes twinkled as she held a bright grin on her face.

"No ma'am." Red and I shook our heads in unison.

"Good, then hurry along! You know Elm's little fits if someone keeps him waiting." She urged us towards the door.

We were practically shoved outside as she closed the door behind us.

New Bark Town was a fairly small place.

Since it was next to a large stream that supposedly flowed to Kanto, there was always a sort of salty breeze that whipped through. Trees surrounded the outskirts of the area, making it still quite urban and green all around, no sidewalks, concrete, or anything. Just a little bit of dirt and grass underfoot.

"... She's in a hurry to get rid of us." I muttered, looking up at Red.

But his crimson eyes were trained on something else... So slowly, I followed the empty stare to a window outside of Professor Elm's Lab.

There stood a boy who looked around our ages. He had scarlet hair with cold, steely, hateful silvery eyes that peered intently in the window. His clothing was mostly black, a little red in the edges. Something about him gave me a bad feeling.

Red stood there momentarily before turning back to me.

"Come on." He grabbed my arm and dragged me into the door of the Lab.

A cool burst of air that smelled like mint gave me chills as we walked inside, and I shook my head, ignoring it, following my friend to the back of the Lab.

All around the Lab were tan walls and green tile flooring. Also, there were many shelves containing various containers, like medicine bottles, Poké Balls, and other sorts of things like that.

"Ah!" Professor Elm spun around in his white lab coat, which was stained with various colors, "you both made it! I'm glad!"

Beside him stood another man that was more familiar to Red rather than myself. A man named Professor Oak. I could merely tell it was him because of how Red had explained him before in the past.

"Ah, Red! It's nice to see you again! My, my, how you've certainly grown!" The white-haired man smiled, gesturing to the tall one.

"Now is not the time to reminisce, Professor. We'll do that later. I'll give you the honor of explaining things to them." Professor Elm hastily nodded, pointing to the two of us while looking at Oak.

"Alright, I was getting there." He urged Elm to calm himself, then looked back to Red and I, "do you know anything about Elm's research?" He asked.

But before we could answer, Elm cut in.

"Pokémon are carried in Poké Balls nowadays, you know. Before the Poké Ball was invented, however, people would walk side-by-side with their beloved partners. It's quite rare to see such a sight today! Sure, Poké Balls are nice for carrying around more than one Pokémon at once... But walking with them has benefits, too! Like, how they grow or evolve!" Professor Elm butted in, chattering on quickly.

"So, that brought us to a conclusion. We're giving you both Pokémon!" Oak added onto Elm's explanation.

"Really?" I clasped my hands together excitedly. Sure, Red might not have been excited, since he'd gotten a Pokémon before.

"Kotone, you will get a Johto starter. Red, you will get a Kanto starter. Both of you will get to choose between three Pokémon each. Now, Red, I know you've had a partner before, but you'll get to pick a new one while your father trains yours... Does that seem alright?" Asked the Professor from Kanto.

Red merely gave a small jerk of a shrug, and a slight nod.

"Great! Can you two walk beside these Pokémon outside of its Ball to see if it brings any special feelings or such?" Elm lightly tapped his fingertips together, glancing back and forth between Red and I.

Once again, both of us nodded in unison.

"Good! Now, over there, Kotone, are the Johto starters," Elm pointed to a machine off to the side that held three Poké Balls, "choose whichever one you want! It'll be your permanent partner though, so choose wisely."

"And you, Red. Your choices are over here." Professor Oak motioned him over to a table, and we split ways for the moment.

Me, I gaited over to the machine and looked over the Poké Balls.

All of the sudden, there came a ringing noise before I could even observe the choices. Professor Elm looked annoyed as he walked over to a laptop.

"What is it, Elm?" Professor Oak asked as the man squinted at the screen, slouching as he eyed the computer's monitor.

"... Ah, it's Mr. Pokémon..." His fingers drummed on the desk quickly, "he found an Egg, and claims that it is incredibly important. But, I'm so busy with my research..." Standing up straight, the man with bister-colored hair eyed me.

"_Uh-oh..._" I thought, bracing myself for the worst.

"You two can go in my stead! Choose your Pokémon, then head off just a little ways past Cherrygrove! Hurry, hurry!" He rushed.

We didn't have much of a choice, apparently.

One nod to Red, and I turned back to the choice of starters I had.

The first Ball to the left had water spewing out of the middle, so it was sitting in a puddle. It was absolutely drenched. There was a nameplate that hung above it, and I squinted, reading, 'Totodile'.

The second, which was in the very middle, had leaves and vines growing all over it, even little flowers blooming. The nameplate read, 'Chikorita'.

Finally, the one that was farthest right had a hint of fire to it. A flame danced trickily across the surface, playing its glossy sheen. 'Cyndaquil', was what the plate read.

My fingers danced in the air above the capsules as I began to make the choice mentally. Professor Elm's eyes were glued on my hands and face, just waiting for me to choose. I could practically hear his mind yelling at me to hurry.

"... Are you going to pick, or just stare all day?" A low voice buzzed in my ear, making me gasp and jump.

Spinning around, I saw Red there, brows raised relaxedly, Poké Ball in hand.

Which Pokémon had he chosen...?

"I'm getting there, I'm getting there." Sheesh. No one was patient enough. Either that or I really was slow about choices...

Finally though, I curled my fingers around a certain Ball and shuddered at the feel of it that sent a tingle through my veins. But before I could even clarify my decision, or ask what Red had picked, Professor Elm began chattering.

"Okay! Good choices, good choices. Now, hurry along before Mr. Pokémon gets impatient and sends a dozen more emails!" And with that, we were once again, shoved out the front door, standing there, dumbfounded.

"Well..." I muttered, looking down at my new Poké Ball, "... That was fast."

"You know Professor Elm," Red glanced over at me with the faintest hint of a smile etched on his face, "always the hasty one."

"Yeah, I guess so," I rubbed the back of my neck, then a thought dawned on me, "... So, what Pokémon did you pick?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2, New Flames

Holding out his newly acquired Poké Ball, Red tapped the button on the front of it. Opening up, the sphere seemed to burst with flames and a bright white light. Soon enough, it settled down in front of us. There stood a little Charmander.

The little Pokémon looked around briefly before grinning broadly, showcasing its pearly fangs, the flame dancing on its tail tip burning quite brightly.

"His name's Koro." Red looked slightly embarrassed as he stared down at the Charmander, who seemed delighted with his new nickname.

"Then... Koro, meet Auro." With a sheepish laugh, I also held up my Poké Ball and popped it open, watching the white burst of light and flames as a little Cyndaquil uncurled, tilting his head curiously.

Before either of us could utter a word, the Lab's door opened, and out came Professor Oak, breathing a sigh of relief when he took notice of us.

"Ah, good. You two haven't rushed off quite yet. I wanted to give you both something to help you on your way. Also, I needed to register you both on Elm's Pokégear, as well as mine!" He walked over, holding something.

Then it hit me, once I looked at my bag, that I'd forgotten my Pokégear at the house. Hopefully it was fixed...

"You don't have yours with you, do you...?" Red read me like an open book by the mere look on my face.

"Oh, that's fine. Here, Red, you can have our numbers, and when Kotone gets her Pokégear back, she can register us, too!" And with that, they began to exchange numbers while I glanced at the two Fire-types at my feet.

They already seemed to be observing each other, interestingly enough, and Auro sneezed, surprising them both. A small cloud of black smoke billowed from the Cyndaquil when he sneezed, and Koro seemed to laugh.

"... And when you get back here, I'll give you both something extraordinary and quite special, so, as Elm said, hurry along!" Oak finished saying as I tuned in, listening to the remnants of his speech.

I had a tendency to easily get distracted, which was an issue because most of the time, it meant not paying attention to what others had to say...

"Let's go see if your Pokégear is fixed." Red said rather dully, walking off towards my house when Professor Oak departed.

Mother noticed us coming in, and she gazed to the two energetic Fire-types that ran around our ankles, chasing each other.

She wore a leafy colored dress with floral patterns of oranges and mixes of pink, and a white apron powdered with flour and sugar dotted patches of it. Her shoes were green house slippers, and her hair was tied in a green scrunchie.

"Oh, my! What adorable Pokémon!" She put her hands on her cheeks, kneeling down to get a better look.

"Professor Elm and Professor Oak gave them to us. And, we're going to have to run past Cherrygrove to perform a task for them." I informed.

"Well, alright," she smiled kindly and nodded, pressing her hands on her apron to dust it off, "then, I... Oh! That's right! Your Pokégear has come back from the shop!" Holding up a finger, the woman twirled around and hurried off somewhere.

Red pulled out his own Pokégear, ready to transfer information to mine when I received it. Soon, Mother came back, holding a red and white device in her hands. It looked as good as new, I had to admit.

"... This time, try not to drop it in the water." Red slyly elbowed me.

"H-haha... Funny." I stuck my tongue out and accepted the device, then pulled back the clip after registering the numbers on it from Red's own Pokégear, snapping it onto the strap of my bag.

"Then, you two be good, mind your manners, and have fun. Most importantly, be safe!" Mom pointed a finger.

"I'll make sure of it." Red smiled nonchalantly, rolling his shoulders lazily as his eyes wandered around the room.

"Can we just go now?" With a groan of annoyance, I snapped a glare at Red.

"Whenever you're ready." He challenged.

Waving one last time to my mother, I turned and walked out of the house with Red and our Pokémon close behind. The next destination was Route 29, and on from there. It should've been fairly simple.

There were trees densely packed around some areas, ledges all around, and dark grass that pulled up to our knees. A calm, warm breeze whisked through the trees, plucking some of their leaves off to lay them on the ground nearby.

Koro instantly dashed ahead of Red and dove into the tall grass, his beacon of a tail poking up from the tips of grass. Seeing the excited action of the Charmander, Auro followed his lead, but curled in a ball and rolled into the grass.

"Lively bunch, aren't they?" Raising his brows, Red observed as his starter jumped up and ran back to his ankles.

"That's what makes them fun!" I laughed as my own Cyndaquil came barreling over, bumping into my shoe.

As we walked, the Fire-types wove in and out, between our feet, almost causing us to trip a few times. They would occasionally glance up at us, then go back to playing between our ankles, or in the grass.

All of the sudden, I heard Auro cry out in surprise, and instantly, brown and white feathers flew into the air.

A Pidgey flew from the grass, cooing angrily as Auro tumbled backwards. He puffed smoke from his back, scratching the ground with his foot.

"Oh, he's already picked a fight." Grinned Red.

"He's not the only one." Pointing over to the grass nearby, I noted that Koro had landed atop a Sentret.

"Jeez," sighing, he made his way over, and I focused on Auro.

Without my command, he'd already charged and slammed into the wild Pokémon, and it'd tackled him right back.

Since he seemed to know what he was doing, I stayed out of the way, just to watch and see how the battle played out.

And luckily, after a few more hits, he'd taken the Pokémon down with ease, crossing his arms, holding his head up.

"Good job," I picked up the Pokémon, "you're a tough guy, aren't you?"

"Quil!" He answered enthusiastically.

Red soon met up with us. His Charmander had a little scuff of dirt on his cheek, but other than that, he was just fine.

"Hey, isn't that Cherrygrove just ahead?" He pointed.

Sure enough, a small, cozy place came into view. It had white fences outlining it, dirt paths like New Bark, and trees outlining the fences. But the most notable feature of Cherrygrove was the flora.

When I said flora, I meant a lot of it. Various shades of oranges, purples, pinks, blues... Every other color imaginable all sprouting around, coloring flowers everywhere. The plants poked out of fences, flowerpots, windows, and everywhere, basically. I was so caught on the sights... However, the scent hit me soon enough.

Freshly watered flowers carried a sort of citrus like smell through the air, mingling with sweet and light fragrances.

"Hey, you two there!" An older voice called out, pulling me away from my daydreaming state of peace.

There was an elderly man jogging our way. He had a full head of grey hair, topped with bushy eyebrows and a puffy mustache. He wore grey sweats with a green headband placed gently atop his head, and looked quite energized. His shoes were green with white stripes, just to match the headband, I guessed. He stopped right in front of us with a grin.

"You two are rookie Trainers, I can tell! It's alright though, everyone begins somewhere, and for you two, it's here!" He greeted.

Red and I exchanged confused stares.

"If you would like, I can teach you a few things!" Offered the gentleman.

"Char!" Koro enthusiastically chanted.

"Good! Follow me then!" He motioned and spun around, heading off another way.

Seeing we didn't have much of a choice, we followed.

"This right here," he stopped in front of a square white building with a red roof, "is the Pokémon Center. Heal your Pokémon for free, in no time at all in these places. Also they provide guest rooms for Trainers to stop by in at night!" He explained helpfully before dashing off again.

"Is it sad that an older man can run faster than us...?" I muttered as we were walking to the next building, and Red chuckled.

"This is a PokéMart. Useful for Potions, Poké Balls, and everything else you need. All that good stuff." The man gestured to a blue-roofed building with a large spinning sign standing next to it.

"How long is this tour again?" Red mumbled, poking my shoulder. We both cracked a grin and kept following the man, who then stopped at the exit of Cherrygrove.

"Route 30 is out this way!" He pointed, "it's where some Trainers are busy training their Pokémon, and at the end of the route there, a man named Mr. Pokémon lives."

"That's where we're headed." I noted.

"Is that so? Hm! Interesting. Well, come now, there's not much more to see now." The gentleman spoke quickly, still brimming with health and energy as he turned and fast-walked away again.

Red's Charmander eagerly followed behind him, so I decided to let Auro down to see what he would do. Sure enough, he darted off to follow.

"I think he's the leading type." Remarked the black-haired one.

Sand crunched under our feet, and soon enough, there were waves washing up, scaring the two Fire-types back.

"This is the sea, as you can see! Pretty vast, isn't it?" The man stood where his shoes were soaked with the tide, gesturing out to the seemingly endless ocean that sprawled out in front of us. Koro and Auro growled.

The air tasted salty, and with the breeze that blew off the ocean, I actually enjoyed it. Although, what Red thought, I wasn't sure. He just gave the usual dead stare.

"Now! For keeping up so well, and as a gift for rookies, come with me to one last stop, I'll give you each something!" As we followed him again down a dirt path, he stopped in front of a house.

Without another word, he disappeared inside.

Koro crossed his little arms, nodding at Auro, who tilted his head. It was kind of funny to see them interacting so well already.

"Alright!" The man stepped back outside.

He was carrying something in his hand.

"Load these into your Pokégears! They're Map Cards!" Opening his hand, he revealed two little black chips. Red and I took one each. We brought out our Pokégears and poked the chips into the bottom, where they instantly loaded a new feature. On the screen, a map of the whole region popped up.

There were all kinds of cities, routes, and bodies of water marked. A little legend was in the corner, revealing that the red squares were cities and towns we'd traveled to, and the grey were places we hadn't been. The roads were white, and there were green dots to show caves, mountains, or other smaller locations.

Well, that certainly was handy.

"Now, with those gifts, I wish you good luck on your journey!" Turning around, the grey-haired man walked back inside his house.

"That was nice." I smiled and put the device back on my bag strap, watching as my friend did the same.

"I'd say more along the lines of, 'strange'." He shrugged.

"Quil!" My partner suddenly tugged my sock, pointing off to the PokéMart, "Cynda!"

"... What? The PokéMart?" I tilted my head.

"Maybe he's saying we should buy supplies." Red offered.

"Right... I knew that..." I rubbed the back of my neck, then began towards that direction.

Inside the PokéMart, it was cool and breezy with air conditioners all over. There were shelves loaded with items, all of which were probably out of our price range... Maybe some other time we could bother with them.

The floor was made up of blue squares, both dark and light in shades of blue, and the walls were white with yellow stripes at the tops...However, they were hardly visible with the shelves in the way. A few people stood around as well. There was a guy with a spiky hairdo with scarlet clothing, and a little boy who wore a typical school outfit, adjusting his glasses as he eyed the items on the shelves.

We departed different ways to look at different items. I looked at Potions, while Red gazed at other items.

"Ehh..." I muttered, squinting at the prices. Sure, maybe I had enough Poké on me to purchase at least ten, but...Maybe in the future I needed the money for other things.

Soon, in a quite nonchalant manner, Red came walking down the aisle.

"I bought ten Potions," he lazily held up a plastic bag with a slack facial expression, "five for me, five for you."

"Red, I have money, you don't need to get me anything-"

However...Well, before I had the chance to complete my protest, he dumped half of the purple bottles into my bag.

"Char!" His partner held a Potion bottle in his mouth, and Red carefully loosed it from his jaws, placing it in his own bag.

"So, I guess we're okay with supplies right now..." I still was going to be feeling guilty for him buying my supplies...And if he did it in the future, I would blatantly refuse his offer. Then again, he could pull off a face that would make me feel guilty...

It'd just be a never-ending process...

There was a tug on my sock then, and I looked down, seeing Auro impatiently pulling, pointing to the door. He was in a hurry to leave already.

"Alright, alright." I shook my head and gave in, heading for the door with Red and Koro on my heels.

Once again, we were outside. I wanted to get the errand of running to Mr. Pokémon's house over with already before night came around.

"Well," crossing my arms, I stared out at Route 30, seeing a nice copse of greenery sprawling out ahead, "should we get going then?"

Red just nodded and slipped his hands into his jean pockets, lingering by my side as I faced the route. Then, it was onwards for us to Mr. Pokémon's.

Once again, there came another tug on my sock.

Looking down, I saw Auro staring back with a determined smile.

"Quil!" He squeaked, then began to hop along ahead, seeming like he was skipping. If he didn't have such stubby little legs, maybe it would work better.

I just kind of...Stood there, staring in confusion. Sure, he seemed to want to lead most of the time...But...Skipping ahead?

Suddenly, he stopped, seeing I wasn't following. Then, with a seemingly angry huff of his little cheeks, he wobbled back over and tugged my sock again.

"Quil! Cyndaquil!" He demanded, pointing ahead with the skip-like motions again. I then got the memo.

"Ehh...? You want me to skip?" I asked, puzzled.

There just came a quick nod from him.

"Well, if you insist..." I felt a little embarrassed to be skipping in front of Red but...Maybe I could make an excuse later.

So, moving my feet, I followed the lead of the Cyndaquil with a little skip and a hop in my step. It came naturally, and I found myself laughing as he let out little squeaks of joy. Hopefully Red could keep up.

As soon as we reached the edge of the tall grass, I turned and looked to see the Charmander and his Trainer catching up, and a faint smile had eased onto Red's face, but it quickly vanished when I took notice. Just...What was that about?

"Hm," he cleared his throat, eyes falling elsewhere, "...So, how far do you guess Mr. Pokémon's house is?"

"Ehh...Just at the end of this route...But we'll need to cross through a lot of tall grass to get there..." Pointing out at the landscape, I motioned to some area beyond that was shrouded by trees.

"Then, that'll be a chance to train our Pokémon. Let's go." He smiled lightly.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3, Mr. Pokémon

Ushering commands was something I didn't feel obliged to do. Speaking out louder than my normal voice was...Not something I particularly enjoyed doing.

But, it seemed necessary, given the fact that I had something to command. I just hoped he could be obedient, so I wouldn't screw something up.

"Char!" Koro ran...Or, waddled...Towards the grass. He quickly picked a fight with a Weedle there, and I just shook my head.

I sort of felt bad for the worm as it wriggled away with claw marks across its face. Koro was a bit merciless.

Glancing over, I thought to take note of how Kotone was coming along.

Her and her Cyndaquil seemed to be doing just fine. In fact, each battle won, they both celebrated a little. I merely chuckled.

"Koro," I spoke up after watching another wild Pokémon whimper and flee, "tone it down. You're not aiming to kill them..."

"Char..." He seemed to sulk a bit.

I knelt down and rubbed his head with a sigh.

"...Just be a little more gentle." His wistful blue eyes forced sympathy out of me. I wasn't one who liked being harsh on Pokémon.

With a nod, he turned and charged into the grass again, stumbling a bit.

Perhaps we were getting a bit sidetracked. The sun was beginning to drift downwards, making the sky turn a slight orange color, blending with the fading blue.

Kotone seemed to take notice of the lateness as well, because she stared back towards my direction.

Before she could open her mouth to speak though, all of the sudden, Auro spit out a black wispy ball, covering them in a cloud of smoke. Coughing soon followed, and I merely blinked, watching the scene as it unfolded.

Smokescreen, apparently.

"Let's just," Kotone coughed, and I saw her hands waving away the smoke, "just...Go on before it gets too dark..."

"Are you alright?" I mused, unable to resist chuckling a bit as I walked over to assist in waving aside the cloud.

"I'm fine, just..." The brunette stared down at her Cyndaquil, who rubbed his neck sheepishly with a stubby arm, "...Surprised."

"Alright, then, shall we?" I offered, gesturing to the rest of the route. She nodded in agreement, and we headed up a small flight of stairs, headed for Mr. Pokémon's.

Since Koro and Auro wanted to train, we allowed them to randomly jump into the grass, defeat a Pidgey or Weedle or some wild Pokémon, and they quickly rejoined us again. They never strayed too far, thankfully.

I assumed that...Maybe our Pokémon had irritated some of the wild Pokémon...Considering the fact some of them gave us nasty stares when we passed.

Then, all of the sudden, there came two Pokémon...A Pidgey and a Weedle. They both did look quite irritated, as well.

The Pidgey flew from a tree nearby, feathers ruffled. As for the Weedle, it inched out of the grass and raised itself like an Ekans would, glaring at us harshly. Neither of them were up for tomfoolery.

"Auro!" Kotone stayed calm, calling her Cyndaquil over.

I was about to call for Koro, but he was already in front of me, Auro by his side. They both seemed to snarl right back at their opponents.

The battle seemed like a blur. Both sides were quick on their feet, and Kotone and I had to quickly call attacks before the wild Pokémon could delve our Pokémon's weak spots and lunge at them.

Koro slashed his glowing claws against the Weedle, and it let out a high-pitched noise of pain, squirming away quickly.

Auro had been hit by the Pidgey, and he was trying to stay standing, although covered in bruises. It was then that the Charmander stepped in front of him and sucked in a breath, then all of the sudden...Flames.

A flame about the size of my hand erupted from his jaws, burning a bright swirl of red, orange, and yellow, with even a small hint of blue curled in the very middle. It homed in on the Pidgey and enveloped it, frisking all its feathers with a harsh flame before dropping the victim on the ground. It was covered in burns, then.

With a screech, the bird then weakly hopped away as quickly as it could, disappearing soon into the tall grass. Kotone and I stared at Koro.

That was definitely Ember, no denying it.

"Ehh...?" Kotone's butterscotch eyes widened in surprise. Her Cyndaquil had a different tactic though, as he ran over eagerly to congratulate Koro.

"Well," I decided to split the excited silence, "...Is that it?" Pointing ahead, I gestured to a cozy little cabin nestled between a fork in the road ahead.

There was a little fence around the side, where a little tree with a green ball looking thing at the top stood. The home had a salmon colored rooftop and front door, and the walls were a creamy coffee color. There was a large window placed beside the door, looking into a rather small room inside.

"It might be..." Although, Kotone's voice was doubtful, she agreed anyway, so we walked to the front porch, and I knocked.

The door soon opened, and a middle-aged man stood there. He had slick black hair with brown eyes, kind facial features, and a tall posture. He wore a grey sweatshirt with green baggy pants, and no shoes on his feet.

"Ah...People usually come here looking for Mr. Pokémon's house...You two..._Did_ mean to visit _me_, right?" He asked, voice a little hazy.

I was about to answer that no, we hadn't, but Kotone shot me a look and shook her head, telling me not to breathe a word and she would handle it. I was glad for that.

"We did!" She smiled kindly to the man, "we came here to rest a little and maybe have a small chat!"

"Oh, my..." The adult man's eyes sparkled with happiness, and he invited us inside, "then, come! Sit and rest!"

Kotone smiled and nodded, gracefully walking inside with Auro close behind. I was a little hesitant, gazing around the home as Koro wandered a bit.

The floor was hardwood for the most part, but the rest of it was a grassy green carpet laying beneath a table with some cushiony chairs. There was a fridge and a stove off tucked away in a corner, and in the other corner, a wardrobe. The walls looked like sand. They were tan with darker spots here and there, and they were lined with brown.

Kotone and I sat on the chair across the table from him, as he sat down as well. Koro and Auro were at the man's ankles, and he was petting them happily.

"So...Have you two heard of Apricorns?" Clearing his throat, the man glanced over the table at us.

"...Apricorns?" My brunette friend tilted her head, "no, what are those?"

"Apricorn trees bear fruit once a day. I have one in my yard! Anyways, you can make them into Poké Balls, if you're skilled like Gantetsu." Koro seemed to growl happily and thump his foot when the man scratched his chin.

"Oh," I looked over to see my friend nod once, tapping her chin, "now that you mention it, Mother used to talk about them a lot."

"That's true..." I nodded quietly.

"I have a feeling this meeting is meant to be, so! I present to you...A gift!" Pulling out a yellow and white box that looked much like a picnic basket, the man set it in the middle of the table and grinned.

Koro and Auro climbed onto the chair beside him, peering over the tabletop to sniff at the curious-looking box.

"...What's that?" Kotone asked.

"It's an Apricorn Box! I apologize for only having one handy, heh..." He rubbed the back of his neck and apologized.

"We can share." I just shrugged and offered.

"Then, which one of us will keep up with it?" Kotone pulled the box over.

"I will." I nodded and grabbed my backpack, placing it in my lap, unzipping it. The inside was cool, and quite roomy, and the box was small enough to fit, so I went ahead and put it inside a pouch at the bottom.

"That box carries a lot of Apricorns! You two can be collectors! There are all kinds of different colors, and each of them even have different smells! You're free to even take the one from my tree outside!" The man encouraged us.

We just nodded.

"Quil!" Auro bumped into my foot.

"Char!" Koro followed his lead, but bumped into Kotone's foot.

I raised a brow and leaned forwards, lifting up the warm little ball of fur. He crossed his arms, chest puffing out.

Kotone picked Koro up, and he grinned widely, wriggling a bit.

I glanced over, staring at the two for a moment. She hugged Koro to her chest with a light giggle, and the Charmander just nuzzled her chin lovingly.

As soon as I looked over to Auro though, I wish I hadn't.

His body lurched a bit, and his mouth filled with something. I blinked in confusion for a moment, watching as he then opened his mouth, flooding my face with smoke. Coughing, I set him on my lap and waved away at the shroud.

"Ehh? Red? Are you alright?" Kotone asked in concern as I was able to see once again, throwing a cold glare to Auro.

"...I'm alright," I stared back at the snickering Cyndaquil.

"My, what a lively little Pokémon." Laughed the man across the table, and I'd almost forgotten he was there.

"Ahah, sorry to bother. We have to run an errand though, so we'll be on our way now." Standing, the twintailed one nodded and gently placed Koro on the ground. Auro jumped off my lap to stand beside his Trainer, and I dusted myself off upon standing.

"Alright! Have fun with Apricorn collecting!" The man waved as we were out the door at last. It was going to take forever to get to Mr. Pokémon's, apparently.

Back outside, the skies were slipping to a milkier creamy-orange color, with hints of purple swirled in. The sun was at the point of halfway in the air, not quite completely sunken, but not all the way in the sky, either.

"So this must be an Apricorn..." Kotone drifted over to the tree in the man's yard, and I watched from the porch as she inspected it.

It was a small tree, sort of. About the height of little Kotone. Perhaps just a little taller, but not taller than me.

"Cyndaquil!" Suddenly, Auro backed up. He then charged at the tree, ramming into its base with his head.

The tree shook a bit, some leaves falling as the Fire-type backed up, wobbling a little. Kotone picked him up, lightly kissing his head, making him smile again. She then stood on her toes and reached for the Apricorn atop the tree.

Crinkling my nose a bit, I tugged the visor of my hat down, looking off elsewhere to focus on wild Pokémon or something.

Finally, with enough stretching, she grabbed the green Apricorn and grinned, walking back over.

"It's got some sort of...Weird smell to it..." She handed it over, and I felt the smooth surface of it, then lifting it to my face.

I couldn't quite place the smell on it. It was a bit strange, unlike anything I'd ever smelled before. But, not staying on that topic, I dug in my bag, opened the case for the Apricorn, then put it away.

When I glanced back up, Auro, Koro, and Kotone were already headed farther down the route. I sighed, then quick-walked after the impatient bunch.

Auro and Koro were still battling in the grass along the way, getting scuffed up. Occasionally, Kotone would worry, so I had to assure her they were alright. They knew not to push themselves too much.

But maybe I spoke too soon, as Auro came swaying out of the grass, cringing and shuddering violently.

"Auro...?" Kotone panicked, rushing over to him, scooping him up in her arms.

"Char!" Koro ran back over to us. He was beaten up, but still alright. I peered at Auro, seeing just what the problem was.

"...He's poisoned," I picked a stinger out of his side, holding it up to show the Pokémon's Trainer, "by a Weedle, I'm guessing."

"Qui...Quil..." Auro shivered, and Kotone held him closer. Her bottom lip quivered, and she looked back at me with watery eyes, causing my stomach to knot itself.

"...Here." I pulled something from my bag...Something my mother had given me before we left, because she wanted to be on the safe side. It was a yellow bottle of spray-An Antidote as a cure for poisoning.

She didn't protest, but willingly held her arms out with the Cyndaquil to allow me to proceed with the healing remedy. I carefully placed my finger on the back of the nozzle, then pressed down, waving it over the spot where the stinger had been.

A clear liquid spray came out of the tip, and once it made contact with Auro's skin, he whimpered in pain, but accepted it. I sprayed it until the bottle was empty, then nodded and smiled.

"There," I rubbed his head, "that should do it."

"Oh...Thank Arceus..." Kotone sighed with relief and hugged Auro again, then pulled out a bottle of Potion from her bag, beginning to spray him, "thank...Thank you, Red...I didn't know you had a Antidote on you..."

"My mother gave it to me just in case something like this happened." I nodded and gave a little shrug.

As soon as she finished tending to his wounds, Kotone set the Cydnaquil down to see if he was alright. He looked up and smiled to both of us with a nod of thanks, chattered something to Koro, and squeaked with glee.

Time to keep going once again.

Hoothoot began to come out. They were perched on branches nearby, glowing red eyes cutting through the dark as we passed. I noticed some chills causing Kotone to shudder, too, so I wanted to get the errand finished as soon as possible.

As we walked through the grass, Rattata scampered aside, and some tired Pidgey flocked away, cooing noisily. Just ahead, at a dead end, there was another house.

The first thing Auro took notice of was an Apricorn tree with a pink Apricorn nestled atop of it neatly. He instantly ran up to it and wrapped his arms around it to the best of his abilities, trying to shake it. Soon, Koro joined in.

With enough effort, the two managed to shake the tree just enough. The pink Apricorn fell from its tree, smacking Koro on the head. I chuckled, watching as they shook it off and ran over, both trying to hold it.

"Eh?" Kotone took it and looked over it, then closed her eyes and inhaled the scent, a smile spreading over her lips, "...This one smells sweet."

Sure enough, as I took it and got a dose of the scent, it smelled like Pecha berries, which were quite sweet.

After putting it away, we walked to the house and looked over it.

It had tan, wooden walls on the outside, as every other we'd come across, but a black roof. Definitely different from others.

A little fence and a red mailbox stood outside, and a window with an orange light pouring out of it sat beside the red door. The smokestack on the roof occasionally puffed a black wisp of smoke into the air, then it vanished into the darkened sky.

Finally though, we walked inside and looked around without knocking. Maybe Mr. Pokémon wouldn't mind...

Inside, it was incredibly spacious. For one man alone to live there...Why would he need a huge place to live?

The floor was made of wood, as usual. Against the wall, there was a brown leather couch that sat on a lavender-colored rug, and beside that, there was some sort of huge glass case full of...Things. Antiques...Statues...Figures...All kinds of things that seemed to mainly focus on Pokémon. It was kind of...Creepy.

Off to the side, there was a large table with a single yellow chair beside it, and a desk lined up against the other side, and a laptop sat on it, linked up to some sort of machine that was pressed against the wall. The walls were tan and smooth looking, kind of like wood, too.

"You must be Red and Kotone!" All of the sudden, out of seemingly nowhere, there came a man that rushed up to us, almost plowing straight into us.

He wore a brown tuxedo with a fedora featuring a purple band running across the middle. His shoes were black, and looked neatly polished. White hair poked out of his hat, signifying his age, but his twinkling brown eyes showed different.

"Are you...Mr. Pokémon?" Kotone asked, slowly shouldering her bag.

"I am! Come, sit down, I insist!" He dragged us inside, motioning to his couch and chair enthusiastically.

One glance at Kotone, and we both agreed...He was a nut.

**Hello there people. I'm posting another chapter a day after the second's been posted? Yep. Because: 1. I'm going to be gone for about 4 days, and 2. School starts pretty soon for me so I'll be too busy with school to write(maybe). Anyways, really really sorry for the confusion but, every two chapters, it switches perspective between Red and Kotone, I have decided. Have a nice day.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4, Overnight

After the both of us sat down, Kotone on his couch while I sat in the chair, Mr. Pokémon hurried over to the glass case and opened it up, searching frantically. His eyes brightened when he found the item he'd been looking for, and the man wrapped his arms around it, backed up, and closed the case with his foot.

Turning, he walked to Kotone and set what looked like an egg on her lap, then took a step back and rubbed his chin.

"This is what I need Elm to research. One of my good friends from Ecruteak gave it to me. I bet you can't find this kind of egg in Johto!" He grinned triumphantly.

Kotone looked over it, and I did as well. It was pure white with little red and blue triangles all over it, and the texture looked rather soft.

"Once I obtained the egg, I figured, hey, Professor Elm could unscramble it, right? Haha!" He laughed at his own joke.

Kotone and I forced fake laughter so he didn't feel awkward, and he just nodded with a grin, dismissing it.

"Now, you're returning to the Professor? Why not take a rest here before you go? I can tell your Pokémon are tired, too." He chatted.

Well, it was dark outside...

"Ehh? Do you have enough room though?" Kotone asked as she held the egg, and Auro poked at it curiously.

"I have my own room. Although, if you two would like, you can stay out here. I only have one couch though..." Mr. Pokémon shrugged.

"I'll sleep on the floor." I volunteered, raising a hand, and Koro jumped up and raised his little arm, too.

"Now, just wait a second, I'll be the one sleeping on the floor here!" She stood up and fumed, crossing her arms.

"I'd rather you sleep on the couch." I crossed my arms as well, staring back at her.

"No way!" The girl protested right back, her bottom lip sticking out.

"Now now, you two, don't fight..." Mr. Pokémon waved his hands nervously, but his little pleas were drown out by Koro and Auro beginning in the protest, too.

"...You know," I thought of something, "there could be spiders on the floor..." I wiggled my fingers creepily, attempting to scare her.

"Wait just a second, I just swee-...Oh." Mr. Pokémon then caught my hint and blinked, then nodded with a grin of approval, slinking away.

"S...So be it, aha, I don't mind a few little...Bugs..." She lied. I could see the spike of her shoulders whenever I had mentioned, 'spiders'.

"Oh? Are you sure about that? You don't mind them..." I crept a little closer, "...Crawling all over you while you sleep? Crawling into your mouth, or biting you, or their little sticky, hairy legs all over your skin...?"

Her skin turned a shade of sandy pale, eyes draining of their vibrant color.

"E-eh...Now, that's just a myth and you kn-know it!" She pointed a finger at me accusingly, to which my only response was a questioning grin.

"Koro, if you would..." I motioned a hand to the floor, and the Charmander, thankfully, took my hint so I didn't look like an idiot. He nodded and dove under a small end table, then emerged soon enough with a wriggling black spider between his fingers.

"E-eh! That's j-j-just one! I-it could be the only one!" She pointed at the wriggling creature, though I could tell she didn't want to sleep on the floor anymore.

Well, I had further ways to convince her.

Stepping about an inch closer, I grinned lightly and grabbed her hands, lowering them to her sides, moving a little closer to her ear.

"...It's rude to point. Can I sleep on the floor now?"

Koro soon butted into the situation, standing between us. He held up the spider to Kotone with a happy grin.

"Char!"

With a shriek, Kotone snapped away and took a step back.

"Fine I'll sleep on the couch!" She stamped a foot and crossed her arms fitfully. Auro tried to mimic me with his stubby arms, glaring at me to the best of his ability.

Pouting, she accepted defeat, something she scarcely did, sitting on the couch.

Koro grabbed his tail, holding it under the spider. The flames slowly engulfed its legs, then its whole body. Ashes then fluttered from his hand, after disintegrating the eight-legged creature slowly and painfully.

Looking back over, I saw just...Well, brown. Something brown and fuzzy was shoved in my face.

"H...Here..." Kotone said, holding out a blanket to me.

"What do I need this for?" I took the blanket, looking it over. Really though, it was quite soft to the touch.

And then she threw the most sarcastic look I'd ever seen at me, followed by a tone that made me feel rather...Dumb.

"Jee, I dunno...To catch Pokémon with."

"...Ahaha..." I grumbled and tucked the bundle under my arm, "very well."  
Without another word, Kotone turned around and plopped back down on the couch with a yawn, picking up her Cyndaquil. I, myself, sat on the floor and looked to Koro, who was laying on his stomach.

As soon as she was settled on the couch, I watched her for a minute. The girl laid on her side, and she hugged Auro close to her chest, tugging a blanket off the top of the couch, covering herself with it.

"Hmn..." I muttered and rubbed Koro's head.

Then, I felt something soft smack my head, but it still took me off guard.

There, a pillow fell in my lap, and I looked over to see Kotone laying on the couch, blanket to her chin, back facing me.

"...Goodnight." She muttered.

I stared for a minute, then looked down to the pillow, then smiled a bit.

"'Night." I shrugged and laid it down behind my head, then laid back myself. I felt a warm ball of scales crawl onto my stomach, seeing Koro curled up there.

Laying my hand atop him, I shrugged to myself and sighed, closing my eyes. Maybe sleep would come easy...Sure enough though, it did, and I felt myself drifting off in just about no time at all.

It felt like hours were crawling on through the night as I spend it in a state of half-conscience, unable to really move or anything. Then, finally, sometime in the morning or so, I felt something prodding my chest.

"Char..." The little whimper-like sound woke me.

Lifting my head, I came face-to-face with deep, frightened blue eyes, and Koro's claws curled around my shirt. He was terrified.

"...What's the matter?" Rubbing away the sleepiness in my eyes, I managed to sit up, my body a bit numb.

He just whimpered in response.

"Bad dream...?"

"Charrr..."

"Alright, then," I patted his head.

For a second, everything was dark, despite the fitful flame on the Charmander's tail. Then, my eyes adjusted.

Kotone was still asleep but had turned over to face us. She was hugging Auro, who nuzzled her chin in his sleep.

"...What did you dream of?" I then turned back to Koro.

He stopped for a second, then sniveled and began waving his little arms. His tail waved back and forth, and he bit at the air.

...Well, those gestures were quite confusing.

"...Uh-huh...Go on..." I muttered, feigning to understand him.

"Charmander, Char!" He pointed to his fangs and made an angry face, then hugged his little tail, whimpering.

"Ah..." I winced a little, seeing how distraught and mortified he was, then couldn't help hugging the little fiery lizard.

He seemed to relax a bit and nuzzle into my shirt. I just rubbed his back and shrugged, hoping to calm the poor little thing down.

Whatever nightmare he had, hey...A nightmare was a nightmare, and they were extremely unnerving at times.

"...Red?" I suddenly heard.

Looking over, there were sleepy eyes staring back over. Kotone had propped herself up on her elbow, brushing some hair from her face.

"What's the matter?" Her eyes squinted at Koro's fire, and back to the Fire-type. I pulled him back a little, seeing that he was a bit happier.

"Nightmare."

"Oh, I see..." Her voice was tired, face worn out, but pale in the dark.

Suddenly, she slipped her arms under Koro's, pulled him from my grip, and sat against the arm of the couch while Auro sprawled out on her lap, still asleep. She smiled gently and hugged my starter.

"Are you alright? Do you wanna sleep by me?" The girl asked.

"Che-ar!" The Pokémon grinned brightly through the darkness, and I crinkled my nose a little. Unfair...

"Heheh! Alright!" And with that, she sunk down, laying him on her stomach. He curled in a ball next to Auro, closing his eyes, and I just crossed my arms.

Oh, I was supposed to sleep by myself then.

"Hmph." Rolling back over, I tugged the blanket to my chin and closed my eyes. Well, they'd keep her warm enough, and she might've started sweating...Then have to give Koro back or something.

I managed to close my eyes again, grumble, and find myself dozing off easily once more. Hopefully the night didn't last long.

Again, it lazily drifted along, and I remained in my sleeping conscience of half-awareness, until finally, the sunlight began to peak through my eyelids.

"Charrrr..." Something poked my cheek.

"Reeeddd..." Kotone's voice echoed in the same tone as the Charmander, followed by a little prodding on the back of my neck.

The rays of harsh light assaulted my eyes as soon as I did somehow pry my eyelids open, which caused my shoulders to jerk, and eyes to snap closed once more.

"Quil!" Another poke, but on my Adam's apple. That caused me to cough and sit up, rubbing the spot on my throat.

"Aha! You're awake!" Kotone's grin was the first thing I saw, then Koro's next to her. Rubbing my eyes, I huffed.

"Oh, well, the dead lives!" Another voice said. Turning, I noticed Mr. Pokémon was standing off to the side.

Usually, I was the one up first...But probably because I woke up to my Pokémon having a nightmare, maybe I was a little more tired.

"We have to get back to Professor Elm and Oak." Patting her bag gingerly, my friend gave a curious look.

"...Alright..." Standing up, I leaned backwards, stretching myself out. Sleeping on the floor was actually comfortable...

Something wrapped around my ankle, and I looked down to see Koro there, hugging and nuzzling my leg. He wagged his tail happily, and Kotone stepped back to avoid the flame, as Auro just waved at it curiously.

Then, Kotone opened her mouth to speak, but was halted by the deafening ringing noise of her Pokégear.

"Hello...?" The girl slowly held it to her ear, standing up. I listened closely, picking up the sound of Elm's panicked voice on the other line.

"K-Kotone? Where are you and Red?"

"At Mr. Pokémon's...We stayed the night since it was getting late..."

"Augh! Get back here now, _**please**_! I-it's a dire emergency!"

Once she hung up, the girl had a bit of a shaken look herself, her facial complexion draining of its color.

"What was that about?" Mr. Pokémon asked calmly.

"C...Come on!" Suddenly, the girl's small fingers wrapped around my wrist, then she pulled me with all her might towards the door.

Although, I had to remind her that we needed to gather our stuff. She then grumbled in annoyance, scooped up all of her things as I packed mine up. The girl picked up her Cyndaquil, then hurried out the front door.

"I'm guessing that doesn't mean anything good, does it?" Mr. Pokémon asked with a tilt of his head.

"No." Was all I answered, lifting Koro, placing him on my shoulder as I then hurried out the door after her.

"Come on, there's no time to waste! Something bad's happened, and we can't afford to dawdle around!"

"Do you even know what this so-called, 'emergency' is?"

"No, but whatever it is, it's gotta be important?"

"Is that so..."

Elm was so scatterbrained that losing one of his pens would require a phone call to the police. That was why I was hesitant.

But if Kotone insisted...

"Alright, fine." Just deciding to accept it, I sighed and shrugged, making Koro giggle a little at being lifted by my shoulder a bit.

We hurried on through the route, and were in such a rush that no Pokémon bothered to jump out. That, and it was early in the morning, so most of them were still fast asleep in their homes somewhere.

Pidgey were perched in trees, Caterpie and Weedle were tucked away, nestled in their cozy tree stumps, and Rattata quietly took morning strolls through the grass. Jee, why couldn't our situation be that tranquil?

Soon, Cherrygrove came into view, but she didn't stop there. Instead, the girl kept on going, determined to get back to New Bark as quickly as possible. I was going to be annoyed though, if this emergency was small.

My pace slowed to glance around Cherrygrove. I'd catch up to Kotone in a moment, but wanted to stop for a moment to rest just a bit.

Then, there came a bit of a grinding sound on the dirt, and I turned to see Kotone step back, and a somewhat familiar face stood there in front of her.

"...Pokémon from the Lab. What a waste. You two don't deserve such good Pokémon." He rudely spoke, smoothing a hand through his flamboyant red hair.

"...Who the heck are you?" Kotone narrowed her eyes. Although her demeanor seemed like an act of bravado, she stepped back, and I stood beside her.

"None of your business, pigtails."

"Pigtails?!" Both of us shouted in unison.

"Hmph! I got a Pokémon from the Lab, too, and I'll show you just how weak you are." The silver-eyed boy grinned, his glare as sharp and cold as steel as he dug something out of his pocket.

Whenever he revealed a Poké Ball, Kotone seemed to realize something, her eyes widening. The passerby boy pressed the button on the front of the Ball, and it opened up to reveal a Totodile, who snapped at the air angrily.

"That's..." The girl trailed off, her gaze locked on the Water-type. Auro jumped from her arms and landed in front of her, ready to battle. Koro just looked cautious, as he was probably afraid of the Totodile.

"What? What is it?" I looked to the one who seemed paralyzed.

For a second, she shook her head.

"Quil! Cyndaquil!" Auro pawed the ground.

"That's the...That's the Totodile from the Lab!"

**Hallo there friends. I may not update as frequently because I have school. Lots of school. And it's exhausting. But, I'll try to write whenever I can! Thank you for reading yes.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5, Energetic Toils

The realization hit me like a cold slap to the face. Yes, that was Professor Elm's Totodile alright, and it didn't look very happy at all. The boy was the one who had been spying in the Lab's window. He must have broken in and stolen the Pokémon. I just knew it.

"...I'll...I'll take care of this." Curling my fists, I nodded to Red. For a moment, he looked hesitant, but sighed and nodded, stepping back.

"Then, allow me to demonstrate how weak you are!" The stranger grinned.

The Pokémon positioned themselves for a battle, and glared harshly at each other. It was obvious that they were enraged by the snapping of jaws and puffing of smoke.

"Tackle!" I called, seeing how Auro was ready to go.

"Quil!" He yelled and charged, slamming into the side of the Water-type.

"Hmph! Scratch!" On that command, my opponent's stolen Pokémon obeyed, much to our misfortune, and charged, his claws glowing white as he raked them across Auro's chest. The Cyndaquil cried out in pain and staggered back.

"Tackle, again!"

"Scratch."

The two charged relentlessly again, and met each other head-on, wounding themselves at the same time.

"Again!"

"You too!"

Over and over they collided, and I chewed my lip, feeling my nerves wracked. But a hand rested on my shoulder, and I looked back.

"...Stay calm, your Pokémon can feel your emotions." Red nodded quietly.

"Right..." Taking in a deep breath, I let it go and nodded back to the battle.

Once more, we called attacks, each hoping to become the victor.

"Hmph, you're doing merely alright for someone so puny." The boy hissed through his teeth, granting a grudging smile.

"Tackle!"

"Leer."

The opposing Pokémon's eyes glowed red. He glowered at Auro, making the Cyndaquil stop for a moment, shivering in fear.

"No, Auro! Shake it off!" I called.

"Cynda..." He nodded, though doubtingly, then charged again.

And that last Tackle, I had not known, was the winning strike.

The boy and I were both shocked. Auro was breathing heavily, while the foe's Pokémon fell on his stomach, unable to battle.

"...Are you happy you won?" Keeping his cool, the boy recalled the Pokémon to its Ball, then put it in his pocket, "don't you want to know who I am?"

"No." Red said sharply. I tried not to grin in light of his sassy comment.

"I'm going to be the world's greatest Trainer." The stranger closed his eyes, and I could just see an angry vein popping from his forehead.

"That's great for you, but you're not going to get anywhere like that." Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Red lifted his head, eyes closed.

To that, the boy had no comment. He just ground his teeth together, huffed, and turned sharply, walking right on between us. But then, something fluttered to the ground from him, and I blinked, reaching down to pick it up.

"...Eh? What's this?" A sly grin pulled on my face, as I read it over.

It was his Trainer Card.

"Silver, huh..." Red muttered as he read over my shoulder.

"His picture looks like a mugshot..." I cracked up, and Red grinned deviously.

"H-hey! Give that back right now!" Suddenly, the boy came rushing back over to us, but Red took the laminated plastic card out of my hand, holding it above his head then. Silver looked steamed.

"...Silver, is it?" Red yawned, continuing to wave it above his head, teasing the thieving boy with it while he jumped and reached for it, "...You're quite short."  
I laughed, while Silver yelled that he wasn't short. Red continued to lower it, then lift it higher once he almost touched it. The redhead was practically throwing a fit, for a seemingly 'mature' guy.

"Take your card and go then." Lowering the card enough, Red allowed it to be snatched from his hand.

With a growl, Silver violently shoved his card into his pocket, then stormed off, stomping up a dirt trail behind him.

"That'll teach him not to pick on a giant." I mused.

"Giant?" Red's brow arched.

"Ahaha, I mean..."

"Char!" Koro butted in with a laugh, and Auro seemed to join in.

"Oh, Auro!" Scooping him in my arms, I then grinned sheepishly, "I should probably get you healed up, little guy."

Hopefully Red would merely dismiss my comment as nothing, although it was true, he really was tall...

Well, he seemed to pass it as nothing, because whenever I turned to head for the Pokémon Center, he followed without a comment.

The glass door slid open, and a cool air descended upon us upon setting foot inside the spacious building.

The atmosphere? Really calm.

A nurse dressed in a fine pink dress smoothed her white apron. Her large, bouncy pink curls in her hair bounced when she looked at us, eyes sparkling with delight.

"Oh!" The woman beamed, "welcome!"

The two of us casually strolled up to the counter, and I picked up Auro, then set him on the milky white bar.

Red followed suit, placing his own Fire-type on the counter beside my Cyndaquil, and the nurse smiled.

"Alright, these two only? I'll be right back." Nodding, she scooped the two in her arms. They squirmed a bit, but settled down when she disappeared from sight.

I drummed my fingers on the counter, glancing occasionally at Red, who stared vacantly ahead at a screen.

On screen, there was a large lake with angry waves crashing over something that looked like treetops. Rain poured down heavily, pressing the green grass down harshly. People nearby were running for cover.

Little red blotches were jumping out of the lake all over. Magikarp, maybe? And then, something huge in the middle. It was thrashing about wildly.

"...And in other news, the Lake of Rage's Pokémon have been terribly upset lately, and no one knows the cause!"

"...Ehh?" I tilted my head.

"Still the same, mm..." Red just muttered quietly.

"What...? You know about it?" My curiosity was rising as I turned to him.

Silence, as his eyes were glued to the screen.

...He knew something.

"Re-ed..." I prodded his arm.

"Here you are! All happy and healthy!" Suddenly, the nurse came back with Koro and Auro at her ankles.

"Char!"

"Qu-iiiil!"

Red turned aside from the TV and nodded to Koro, who just grinned healthily.

Eventually I'd get something out of him.

"You were in a hurry, right? Then, let's go." Nodding to me, my friend motioned with a hand towards the door.

"Thank you for healing our Pokémon..." I politely half-bowed to the nurse who just nodded with a friendly smile.

Red seemed to be in more of a rush than I was. I had to speed-walk to just catch up, as well as Koro and Auro. What was bothering him?  
The outdoors reminded my skin of just how much hotter it was by comparison. Perhaps it was just me.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Normally, I didn't like to pry, though I was a curious sort, but that was bothering me.

"Nothing." Mr. Stubborn.

"_Oh, I see._" My eyes narrowed.

Not a word was exchanged while we were walking out of Cherrygrove.

Dang it.

Red's hands were deep in his pockets. Koro tried to imitate his Trainer by holding his head up, arms at his sides. I smiled slightly.

Then, Auro suddenly jumped at my ankle and clung to it. He nuzzled his head along my sock, and I couldn't help but giggle.

Whenever Koro caught sight of a Pokémon, he would dive into the grass. However, Auro stayed clinging on my ankle while I dragged it along. Although sometimes, begrudgingly letting go to battle.

Both Koro and Auro, strangely enough, seemed to want to return to the Lab. It gave us no choice, since they were running ahead, weaving through the grass.

Finally, our feet hit the border of New Bark. Since the Pokémon were already running ahead, I grinned and decided to speed up my pace, although I knew Red wasn't the kind who ran or sped up.

As soon as I reached the door of the Lab, I turned and waited for Red, the two Pokémon at my feet.

"Come on, Slowpoke!" I teased, poking my tongue out. Sure, it was kind of childish, but he was the one who took his time, as though he had so much of it.

He looked a bit annoyed, squinting.

Antsy and jittery, I then couldn't take it, and instantly opened the door, hurrying inside without him. There had been a robbery, of course I wasn't waiting around.

Inside? It was a disaster.

A complete wreck.

There were some police here and there, broken glass was scattered on shelves and floors, pouring strange liquids out all over. The two Professors were standing in the back...Oak was calmly talking to police officers, while Elm was freaking out.

"Who are you?" Suddenly, a police officer approached us, holding a note pad and pencil tightly in his grip.

The two Professors were standing farther behind, so they didn't notice us walk in. No one to save us from the police...Not like we did anything wrong though.

"We're investigating the case of the stolen Pokémon...And whoever returns to the scene is the criminal! We caught you red-handed!" He pointed accusingly at us.

"...Think from a logical standpoint for a moment...There was only one Pokémon stolen, correct?" Red lightly began, not showing hostility in speech.

"Right." The man gave a nod.

"We have one Pokémon each. In other words, two. It wouldn't be fair to just get one. Besides, the thief stole a Water-type. Do we look like we have Water-types on us?" Red proved his point. Sort of.

Well, the police could just accuse further, as to say something like, "You could be hiding it," or something. However, Professor Elm then poked his head into the situation, Oak right behind.

"Wait! These two have clean hands!" Elm protested.

"Yes, it is true. However, I am curious. Did you two see anything suspicious?" Oak confirmed, then gave us a sideways glance.

"It was a red-headed boy," I held up a hand, "and he was apparently here before we came or something, looking in the window...I battled him on the way back to the Lab..."

"Oh? You battled such a criminal? What was his name? Were you able to get it?" So many questions.

"S-Silver...Silver was his name..." I took a step back, waving my hands as he was a bit frantic.

"I see...Thank you for helping with this case. Now, to search for this lad." After penciling the information down, he closed the little book and slipped the pencil in the spine of the note book, then put it in his pocket. Without another word, but merely a casual nod, he motioned to the other police, and they were calmly leaving the building.

"Cyynda." Auro crossed his nubby arms.

"Che-ar." Koro stuck his tongue out.

"Gah...This is awful..." Elm was holding his head, looking as though he had a headache from all the chaos.

"Ah, don't worry about it, things will turn up." Oak patted his colleague on the back and tried for a smile.

"Oh, I almost forgot...What was Mr. Pokémon's ground-breaking discovery, so to speak?" Temporarily throwing aside his worries, Elm glanced up.

"This." Opening up my bag, I pulled out the strangely soft egg that was given to me by the strange man before.

Eyes wide with strange, hungry curiosity, Elm carefully slipped his hands under it, then took it gingerly.

"An...This...This is an egg!" He cried out.

...I thought that had been obvious.

"I've never seen something like this, but it's still only an egg." Adjusting his glasses carefully, he squinted.

Only an egg with something unknown inside. To me, that was intriguing.

"Well, since he was kind enough to hand it over, then shall we examine it? We should keep and study it as much as possible, though some of our equipment has been demolished. In the mean time, Professor, don't you have something for them?" Elm glanced calmly at Oak, who nodded.

"You two have displayed courage and strength. I am going to give you something that will benefit you in many ways! Take these with you. They're my inventions." Smiling bright, the Professor of Kanto then brought out two devices.

Pokédexes.

"I knew you two were special. Oak doesn't just give those away to anyone, you know." Elm remarked as he placed the egg on a desk nearby.

Curiously, both of us accepted the electronic dictionary like device. They recorded information on Pokémon of all kinds, so I'd heard.

"Well, your Pokémon seem to like you quite well, I must say."

I glanced down.

Koro was happily standing beside Red, and Auro was poking my shoe with his nose, occasionally nuzzling my sock.

"So I have a suggestion. Why not...Take the Pokémon Gym challenge? I mean, if you could defeat all the Gym Leaders, and the Pokémon League, you could become the Champions!" Elm paused, thinking about something, "...Or not. But that's your choice. It's not easy, but it sure would be worth it. Would you two consider it?"

Red and I exchanged glances, nodded, smiled, and turned back to the two men.

"We will." No hesitation.

"Great! The first Gym is in Violet City! Ah, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Listen, you two. The journey will be long and toilsome. Please, talk to your parents, first. Don't leave without saying goodbye, alright?" Elm sighed with a bit of a regarding look. I nodded instantly, and Red hesitated, but slowly agreed.

Why the reluctance...?

Instead of replying or questioning anything though, I looked down at my Pokédex, tuning the conversation out.

It was sleek, shiny, and brand-new. The features seemed a bit complex, but I'd be used to it in no time. Flipping it open, I then pressed a button as it faced Auro, then looked as it began to pull up his information.

He was level ten, and knew four moves already. Ember, SmokeScreen, Leer, and Tackle. Impressive. His nature was bold, and he was strong willed, apparently. The little ball of fire was going to be a handful...But that was fine.

"...And with that, we bid you two a fond farewell!" Elm waved, and I saw Red was already headed towards the door.

Quickly waving, I put my new device away, then hurried outside after he and Koro, meeting them in the brisk afternoon air.

"I guess I'd better go tell Mom the news, ehh..." I pondered aloud, looking towards my own home.

"Mm." Was all Red muttered.

"What about you? When are you leaving?"

"...About that. I was planning on asking if we were going to travel together." Was the reply I got for that.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6, Eccentricity

I couldn't really believe what I was hearing. Sure, Red and I'd grown up together but, I figured he'd want to get away from me and everyone else for a while. He was just that solitary confined type, or so he seemed to be.

But to hear that he wanted to travel together, that was a pretty new concept. Maybe I was just overly surprised.

"Travel together? But but, what if I slow you down and uh...Mess things up and-"

He was quietly chuckling, hiding it behind a hand, turned away a bit.

"Quil?" Auro tilted his head, like myself.

Koro tried to seem like he understood his Trainer, but failed at the attempt, as he seemed just as puzzled.

"What?"

"We've known each other literally about all of our lives, Kotone," he began, clearing his throat for a moment, "and you don't think I know this?"

"W-why you little..."

"But despite that, I think it'd be safer to travel with each other." He looked away like something caught his attention, but nothing was there.

Before I spoke, though, Auro headbutted my ankle, then pointed to my own home. Oh, yeah, I should've let Mom know.

Red must've caught the hint too, because he nudged Koro with the tip of his shoe, then motioned for the Charmander to follow. Obediently, he did so, and they turned around to leave quickly.

Koro tripped over his little feet a few times, occasionally leaned against his Trainer's ankles, and carried his tail proudly in front of himself, but probably to keep from stumbling over it as well. Auro was sniffing the air, sneezed a few times, then looked up at me. Whenever I smiled, he let out a squeal of joy.

We soon arrived on the front step of my porch, then quickly walked inside. The cool air and fresh scent of home greeted us there, along with Mother.

"Oh? You're back?" She stared at us like we were visitors.

Well, that was such a warm welcome.

"Cyndaaa." Auro was busy looking around aimlessly. No cares at all.

"Listen, Mom, I have to ask you something."

"Yes?" She picked up a feather duster nearby, then knelt down to my Pokémon and began to wave it in front of him.

"Well uhm...You see, the Professors asked Red and I if we could..." Rubbing the back of my neck, I sighed and just decided to go straight out with it, "...Go on an adventure."

She looked confused.

Auro was batting at the duster. I wondered just why she had randomly began to play with him...Oh well.

"Adventure?"

"Yeah, you know those...Things where people tend to travel all over the place and do exploring?" Oops, my sarcasm was showing.

"I know what they are, hon. Ah, you're serious though?" She tickled Auro's stomach, and he let out some high-pitched squeals.

"Professor Oak gave us Pokémon and Pokédexes, of course I'm a bit serious here." Trying not to come off as a sass was a bit hard, when things were kind of obvious.

"Okay, then what can I do for you?" Well, she took that rather well.

"Do for me? Uhh...Nothing, I guess?" Auro was laying on his back now.

"I know! I can save up your money for you, just send it over by mail or something!" She grinned widely.

That was going to take some effort.

Then again, I was the one who would buy every Potion or Poké Ball around so, maybe it was a fine idea.

"...I guess that can wo-"

"Good!" She said just a little too enthusiastically.

Well, that was quickly settled.

"Okay, dear. Now I want you two to be careful, okay? Are you traveling separately?" The woman did a little dance.

"No, actually we're probably going together and..."  
"Ohoho~ I see..."

That dark smile wasn't something I really favored to see...

"Wh-what?" Scooping my partner Pokémon up in my arms, I eyed her.

"Not a thing~ Just be safe and all of that~! Come back sometime, okay? Now," grabbing my shoulders, she wheeled me around and pushed me towards the door, "you two better hurry along before another day passes!"

She sure was in a hurry to get rid of us.

Back outside, I noticed that Red was already standing there. He almost gave me a heart attack...Jeez, the boy was fast.

"Are we ready?" He offered a slight grin.

"Uh-huh. I think so." I was practically banned from my home already.

"Then, let's go." Without so much as a warning, the male turned right around and began to head off to Route 29.

"Char!" Koro charged into the grass without consent.

"Oh, Kotone...Do you know how to catch a Pokémon?"

I stared at him as if he'd asked a dumb question.

Which he sort of had.

"...Right. Sorry," he stopped at the tall grass, "I can show you."

"When did you learn?" I'd been with him for so long, and I hadn't seen him learn one thing about the basics.

"A long while back, with my father." His voice was a bit hardened.

Oh, maybe I struck a nerve.

"Ahh well, alright, then come on!" To lighten the mood, I grabbed his forearm and nodded, hurrying into the grass.

Or, maybe he was just bluffing to get me to feel bad for being a bit sarcastic.

Looking over at Koro, Red cleared his throat to catch the Fire-type's attention, who was running in circles.

"Chaaar!" He ran back over and looked up, tail wagging.

"It's fairly simple..." He muttered, then pulled out a small Poké Ball from his bag, "we just have to wait for a second..."

Something green and plump was wriggling through the blades of grass.

"There." Red nodded to his Pokémon.

Nodding faithfully, the little lizard wobbled forwards.

"Scratch." Commanded his Trainer.

It was kind of cute how obedient Koro was. Just the way he executed Red's command without fail kind of surprised me. He rushed in, closed in on the small Pokémon, or I guess it was a Pokémon, then raked his claws against it. What came flying out of the grass was none other than a Caterpie.

The Pokémon lifted its head, and those big black eyes were full of tears. Ouch, that was a heartbreaker.

Red didn't seem fazed. In fact, while the Pokémon pulled its facade, and Koro felt sorry for it, he just pressed the button on his Poké Ball, then tossed it at the helpless little Pokémon. I just kind of waited there awkwardly.

It smacked the Pokémon's head, and immediately, its body dissolved into a red light, curled in a ball, and slithered into the open Ball. Once inside, it shut tightly and fell to the ground, then began wiggling with a flashing button. The air was tense.

The Ball was making some strange noise as it wiggled back and forth. I felt my fingers twitching. Red was completely composed, though.

Then, it stopped, making a clicking sound.

Koro hurried over and picked up the Ball, then returned it to his Trainer, who took it, turned, and held it out to show me.

"It's better if you inflict some status ailment on it though, but the main point is, just lower the Pokémon's health." Then, retrieving his Pokédex, Red began to scan the Poké Ball with a thoughtful nod.

Arceus knew if he was just appearing interested for the heck of it.

"And, you might need some of these." Holding out his enclosed fist, Red waited. I paused, then held out an open palm.

Five marble-sized Poké Balls dropped into my palm without him even bothering to look up at me.

"Wait, I can buy some and..."

"Those are extras I don't need right now, don't worry."

"Oh, if you say so."

"Why don't you try it out for yourself?" Once his eyes left the screen, he dared me with a look alone.

"Oh? You want me to try it?" A little competitive spark formed inside my chest. Without waiting for an answer, I set Auro down and did a little skip into the grass.

I got a little ahead of myself, so Red had to spend his time catching up. Our Pokémon didn't have to battle anything, because the Pokémon were mostly just watching us curious, hiding away in case they were harmed.

All of the sudden, a chocolaty-ringed tail shot up from the grass. It waved back at forth, like some sort of serpent, and its motions were very fluid.

"Auro! Tackle it!" The command was quick and on an impulse, sure, but I wanted to show Red that I could capture a Pokémon.

"Quii!" As he raced towards it, the tail dove down all of the sudden, back into the grass. I frowned, looking around.

The fluffy tail popped up in another place off to the side then. Taking it as a challenge, Auro started at it again. When he was close enough, it vanished once more, causing him to tumble forwards.

As he got up, we both turned to look around once more.

Nothing.

Red had caught up, and was grinning. Oh, great, he'd seen the events.

However, there came a tickling sensation on my back out of seemingly nowhere. Letting out a shriek-like giggle, I spun around, desperately trying to figure out what was so fluffy and ticklish on my back.

Finally, coming out of the collar of my shirt, two brown rabbit-like ears poked out, twitching and swiveling around, followed by the head of a Sentret.

"Tret!" It looked up at me, then seemed to purr and nuzzle my chin.

"Someone's taken a shine to you pretty quickly." Red just snorted and shrugged. Was he maybe...Jealous or something? Heheh.

Before I could pet the little ball of fur though, it quickly climbed out of my shirt, then landed in the grass in front of me, shaking itself off.

Struggling to pull my Pokédex from my bag, I flipped it open and quickly scanned the Normal-type.

She was level three, and of a relaxed nature, but was somewhat stubborn. The little Sentret knew Foresight and Scratch, too.

Red was watching. I had to take special cautions so I didn't screw up.

"Tackle, Auro!"

Thank Arceus he obeyed, and actually managed to throw himself at the new Pokémon, and they rolled, making various squeak-like growl sounds. The scene was actually quite pitiful, if you asked me...

The Sentret crawled over Auro, and she seemed to frisk him with Foresight, while he growled and tried to turn over. Before he could crush her though, I calmly fished a Poké Ball from my bag, expanded it to fit my palm, then threw it in the air.

Taking notice, the little ball of fur then tried to scramble away, but it was too late, as she was encased in the glowing red light, pulled into the Ball.

It sank in the grass, and Auro stood right beside it, sniffing it as it wiggled. He batted at it whenever it shifted towards him, and I laughed softly, but cleared my throat when realizing Red was staring.

Whenever it clicked, I internally breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Well, it saved me the trouble of humiliating myself in front of my best friend, and also, I gained a new Pokémon on my team. Red and I both had two Pokémon then.

"Congratulations." Red chuckled and patted my shoulder once I picked up the Poké Ball, and I just flashed a grin.

"Why don't we train our new Pokémon?" I asked while the topic was fresh on my mind. Auro seemed a bit sleepy, though it was the middle of the day. Koro copied his Cyndaquil partner and also yawned, mostly for show to his Trainer.

"...Alright." Agreeing, he pulled out his new Caterpie's Ball, and Koro's. I did likewise, pulling out both my Poké Balls.

"Auro, you can rest up..." I recalled him with a beam of red light, then put that Ball away, "and...You can come on out to play, Rakii."

Red smirked at the name, and I felt a bit embarrassed as the Sentret dissolved into sight, standing instantly on her tail.

"Tako, you too." He then uttered, and out came a plump little Caterpie.

The moment Tako and Rakii set eyes on each other, they instantly let out surprised sounds. Rakii hissed as her fur bristled, trying to make herself look bigger. Tako let out some kind of squeak and raised his body like a snake.

Red knelt down to his Bug-type, while I snatched Rakii up in my arms. Her little body trembled with growls and 'ferocious' snarls as threats.

"I-I guess they really can't stand each other." I uttered.

"What gave you the first hint?" Red shrugged sarcastically with a dull expression.

Scowling, I set Rakii down again. No need for the Trainers to start a war, too. We were used to being sarcastic to each other, though.

"Tako," Red reached over and touched the pink-red horn on his new Pokémon's head, "calm down."

That triggered a reply, alright. A warning.

Instantly, the horn glowed, and a foul stench soon ripped through the fresh breeze. Red and I grabbed our shirts and lifted them over our noses. Rakii squeaked in protest, but quickly lowered herself and used her tail to bury her small snout in.

"We're either going to have to train separately," Red waved a hand, trying to bat away the smell, "or at different times."

"First, we should get them healed up though..." Speaking was a hassle, as I merely gagged anyways at the awful odor.

Somehow, Red managed to pick up the horrible-smelling Caterpie, while I tapped Rakii and motioned her to follow. Hesitantly, she did so, and we walked towards Cherrygrove, noses covered.

The scent of flowers did very little to cancel out the stench. It was so bad, my eyes watered, and I was sure the flowers were like those on cartoons, dying whenever the smell came in contact with them.

Inside the Pokémon Center, Nurse Joy and a few others pinched their noses and made faces. Red seemed a bit annoyed.

"Ahh, what do we have here?" Asked the nurse with a nasally voice, since she had her nose covered.

Tako was set on the counter first, and Rakii stayed back at my ankles, still growling slightly, but it was inaudible.

"Hm, this little guy seems threatened...Okay! We'll see if I can't calm him down." With a polite curtsy, Nurse Joy was off with the Caterpie in her arms.

Boy, I couldn't see how they tolerated the Bug-type at a close proximity.

Rakii was no longer snarling, so I picked her up. She uncomfortably squirmed in my arms and gave me a pouting stare. Not all Pokémon would easily get attached to new people in an instance, I knew that much.

"...I guess they have bad history, or something." Red mumbled to himself as he eyed my new Sentret.

"Or are just naturally rivals." I offered.

"Tret!" Rakii seemed to nod.

"It's no use letting that slow us down though." Mr. I'm-Trying-To-Be-Optimistic-Here.

"Obviously not." My eyes rolled.

Soon enough, the pink-haired young woman returned with Tako nestled easily in her arms. Once his big eyes opened, they stared up at all three of us.

"He's all healed, and can't emit his scent for a while." She informed as Red took the lazy Caterpie back.

I handed over Rakii, who clawed and hissed at Tako, trying to pick another fight, but he just raised his head and huffed, as to show he was better than that.

The nurse took my Sentret, then disappeared down the hall again. Red spun around and began walking towards the exit.

"H-hey, where are you going?"

"To train him."

"Oh, fine."

"Meet back here once you're finished training, too."

**Wow it's been a while since I posted I'm sorry, school and family and health issues get in the way a lot, ahh. (P.S.:Happyonemonthmydear,youknowwhoyouare~)**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7, Poignant Duo

'Timid. Scatters things often.' That was Tako's personality, and it was as obvious as the sun in the sky.

With each inch of his body along the ground, he would look around nervously at something, and if I stepped too close, the Caterpie would squeak loudly up at me and jump back, thinking I would squash him. If a blade of grass or a pebble was close enough to him, he would brush it away with his tail, leaving a scattered path behind him.

Maybe he would calm down and retrieve his senses soon.

Or, maybe I would be proven wrong.

Sprouting out of the grass was a Pidgey. It looked drowsy and quite relaxed, not even paying attention to us...But Tako was horrified.

Crying out, he inched behind my leg and clung to my pant leg, squeaking loudly and crying. The Pidgey glanced over.

"String Shot." I mumbled down to the shuddering Pokémon.

Looking up at me doubtfully for only a moment, he timidly began to understand. Although not moving, the Caterpie sucked in a breath, then shot a thick strand of silvery webbing at the Pidgey, which pinioned its wings together.

Cooing in alarm, the little bird Pokémon hopped around and pecked at the string. While Tako was looking surprised and triumphant, I urged him to go on and battle. Seeing his chance, he took it with a Tackle.

The seized opportunity was cut short though, as it managed to wriggle free from the attack. With one swoop into the air, the Pidgey cooed angrily and shot down at Tako. Squealing pitifully, he shot another round of String Shot.

To his disadvantage, the Pokémon dodged aside and let the strand fly through the air, falling flat into the grass uselessly. Instead, he was hit hard with the attack, and went spinning on the ground, laying at my feet.

Surprisingly though, he was still able to battle.

Getting up, the little bug seemed to growl. He wasn't very scared anymore, and was ready to take down the Pidgey.

Faltering for a moment, the bird landed on the ground and ruffled its wings, scratching the ground as it challenged Tako.

He nodded in acceptance.

Both of them charged at each other at a slow pace, the Pidgey slightly faster. As they drew closer and closer, Tako's horn suddenly began to glow, and he emitted that awful stench from himself.

I covered my nose, seeing the Pidgey stop as it fanned away the odor, but to no avail. With an angry chirp, it staggered, eyes watering.

Not a bad tactic.

While the enemy was distracted, Tako took that moment into consideration, completely unfazed by his smell. He slammed into the side of the bird, landing a critical hit on its wing, knocking it backwards.

Unable to take anymore hits, it turned tail and wobbled into the grass for safety, while Tako puffed out his small chest proudly, raising his body.

Since the harsh fumes were gone, I could kneel down and pat his head in congratulations. His small tail wagged eagerly at that.

Poking his puffed up chest, I was curious of his reaction.

He squeaked like a toy.

I poked his side.

Giving another squeak, the Caterpie fell on his back, wriggling his little legs happily. With a single finger, I gently prodded his stomach.

Seeming to laugh while squirming about, the Pokémon then fell completely still in relaxation once I rubbed his chin.

With one hand, I rolled him over to lay on his stomach, then rubbed his little back. He made various noises, kind of like purring sounds, but in a bug's kind of way.

Then, as if an idea clicked in that curious mind of his, Tako got up and tugged the tongue of my shoe and pointed to a nearby tree. Once he let go, the Caterpie inched over to it and motioned me to follow, so I nodded and obeyed.

Once we had both reached the tree, he patted a spot with his tail, as if motioning me to sit there. I was a bit confused by the gesture, however.

He squeaked impatiently.

Then, turning about, he 'sat' down, however a Caterpie could. Understanding just a bit more, I sunk down and sat beside the Pokémon. He nodded in approval, then got up and began to inch away, but turned around and wiggled a nubby leg, as if saying something similar to, 'stay'. I felt the roles were reversed...

Soon, his little green self vanished into the grass. I was confused, but, hey, he could handle it. He had that strong smell to protect him...Right?

A worrying feeling nagged in the back of my mind, though.

"...Tako." I called, cupping my hands around my mouth.

His head poked out of the grass.

"Stay where I can see you."

Rolling his head and eyes, he slowly agreed and stayed in an area where I could see him. I guessed he was going to be training.

My hands folded against my stomach, and I relaxed. There was no telling how long I would be sitting there with Tako's training going on. Just for extra measures though, I pulled out some Potions and placed them on the ground beside my leg in case he got injured.

Surprisingly, the Caterpie was doing very well. He got in a few tight pinches every now and then, but wriggled out, nonetheless. But since he scraped by the last few battles, I pulled out my other Poké Ball and opened it.

A blue-white glowing light poured out like a shower of flames, then formed into Koro, who seemed confused of where he was. Then, whenever he saw me, the Charmander gleefully smiled and hugged my shoe.

"Help your new team member out." I couldn't help but smile as he nuzzled the bottom of the sneaker I wore. Nodding, the Fire-type turned and approached Tako.

I didn't know quite what I'd expected, but it certainly wasn't what I was seeing.

Instead of being fully alarmed, Tako just jumped a little. He observed the friendly demeanor of his teammate, then began crawling in circles around him to more carefully predict and guess what he was like.

Koro sat back patiently and pressed his palms together. He was looking so blissful and content, that it was pretty hard to believe he was a Fire-type, who was usually so full of energy and ready to attack.

Once he determined that Koro wasn't a threat, Tako climbed onto his head and made another series of squeaky sounds. It was hard not to laugh.

I trusted Koro since he was stronger, so whenever the two disappeared, my worry wasn't very strong.

Don't mistake it for apathy, I didn't say I wasn't worried at all...I was slightly worried still, but I trusted my Pokémon enough.

Well, instead of making my Pokémon upset by getting up to go move around or such...I stayed in place.

Though, there was nothing to do. Unless you were one who really, really admired nature. Then, you could stare at the leaves or grass as they didn't move.

Fascinating.

Just enamoring the way it tugged the heartstrings.

My bag's contents were more so intriguing than that.

...My bag.

There was something poking out of it.

A notebook?

Pulling out the notebook, I observed that it was decorated with a simplistic Poké Ball design on the front. The spine was silvery, shining in the light, bouncing into my eyes, so I quickly moved it and shook my head. The removal of the notebook also triggered a freshly sharpened pencil to fall out. When did those get there?

Mom.

Sure enough, on the back of the cardboard cover, there was a note.

'Red, I thought you might get a little bored on occasion, so I packed something for you while you weren't looking~! Do whatever you'd like with it. Take notes, draw, whatever you want! Have fun sweetie! -Mom.'

Jee...

Twirling the pencil between two fingers, I tapped my chin, then looked at the first blank page. Straight lines divided the paper and tempted me to spill contents of my thoughts or some such thing.

So, with a touch of the lead to the paper, I began to pull it along the page lightly, leaving light strokes from the pencil.

Time passed slowly, and if there were any noises present, my ears blocked them out. Drawing had distracted me too much and pulled me into my own little world. That's the way it was when I was little, too.

Occasionally, I would erase, rub my finger against the charcoal-colored substance, or just stop to look over my progress, but mostly, I was intent to find out just what my thoughts would unfold on that paper.

Eventually, there was a flash of light that tore my attention from the page.

Looking up, I saw a loud beam like a spotlight ripping through the grass. Just what was that? What was going on?  
"_Now's not the time to obey a Caterpie's orders._" My thoughts chided as I rose to my feet, almost stumbling over, letting my notebook and pencil drop on my bag, "_now's the time to see what's going on._"

Hopefully it didn't involve danger with those two.

Did they maybe...Get in a fight?

I could barely recall the way my feet took me over the ground. It was some mixture of nervous stumbling and clumsy running, but at least I arrived with my breath somewhat choked in my throat.

What I saw was actually rather shocking.

Koro was standing next to a Metapod.

I had to rub my eyes until seeing stars to really confirm if that was real or not.

"Charrr!" Koro patted the tough exoskeleton of the newly evolved bug proudly, "Charmander, Charra!"

Although it was hard to tell what emotion the Metapod was feeling, he seemed content. Slipping my fingers beneath his fresh new shell, I lifted him from the ground and observed him carefully.

A shiny silver coating then cloaked him for a moment.

Then, a surge of numbness overcame my arms, and I found my muscles strain and drop the bug on the ground with a rather heavy '**THUD**', barely missing my foot.

"Arceus..." I breathed as he made an indent in the ground.

That was Harden alright.

Koro yelped in surprise and poked at the Metapod.

No sound came from him, but he sort of looked smug somehow...

So...

How was he going to move...?  
Simple.

Once again, I slipped my arms beneath his glossy exoskeleton and lifted with all my might, finally staggering backwards with him in my arms.

"Rahh?" My Fire-type looked concerned.

"I can handle it." Sure, that was what my mind told me to say, but my body said otherwise. Tako was doing it on purpose.

Such a stubborn Metapod...

Oh well.

Maybe it was good to get my physical strength up some.

Lifting one leg, I was able to take a wobbly step. It took the effort of my whole body, but it wasn't like it was some impossible task.

As long as he didn't use Harden again.

Sure enough, I began making my way back to the PokéCenter with Koro and Tako. Maybe Kotone was finished training, too.

Moving only slightly in his shell, Tako seemed to be adjusting. I wondered what it was like, being in a shell, unable to move...

Hmm...

Almost to the Center, I silently sighed with relief. Just a few more steps and...

Weight.

So much weight suddenly heaped in my arms.

Something in my arms and spine gave out, and I ended up stumbling forwards, dropping the heavy bug in my arms, almost falling face first into the soil. Thankfully, I caught myself and managed to stand up straight, balancing on my toes briefly, spinning my arms in windmill like motions.

Turning, I saw the smug Metapod with his eyes closed. His shell looked so tough and sort of steely.

"_Stay calm._" I rubbed my temples and shook my head. Patience was a key element in raising Pokémon...

"Oh! Red!"

Turning, I saw my friend waving in front of the Center. She had her Cyndaquil by her side, and he was chewing a flower.

I didn't want to admit to needing help, so, instead, I walked calmly back to Tako's side, where my Charmander sat down beside him, poking him repeatedly. Maybe she wouldn't notice the crater beneath Tako...

"What's going on...?" Kotone calmly walked over, rocking on her heels as she looked at Tako, "...Are you maybe...Having some issues?" A giggle rose from her.

"No." My reply was a little too quick there...

She ignored that. Instead, the cheery one knelt beside Tako and began to pat his shell. Up close, I was able to see that Auro had some blotches of dirt and scratches on him. Tough little guy he was.

As Tako was being patted, he looked a little calmer when his eyes opened, somehow. I noticed the texture of his shell starting to soften.

"Anyways, come on! We should get our teams healed and get going! Standing around won't do much good!" Kotone stood up after patting Koro's head, motioning me to the Center, "wasting time isn't good!"

"Wait...I forgot something." I recalled my bag and notebook sitting back at the training sight, then nodded.

"Oh? Then, let's go get it and and get going." She smiled and stayed by my side.

All the Pokémon seemed content with that idea. We'd get them healed up after grabbing my stuff, then, it was onward to wherever the next destination was.

No big deal, hopefully.

All we had to do was follow the trail of scattered grass, pebbles, sticks, and dirt, and soon, we were at the training sight. I located the tree where my things had been set, then walked to grab them.

Well, nothing had gotten into my bag or notebook...

After gathering my things up, checking that nothing had been stolen, I nodded to the girl at my side, and she smiled.

Once again, following the scattered path, we reached the Pokémon Center.

Wow.

Never again would I underestimate air conditioning.

We pulled out our Poké Balls and returned the Pokémon, then set them on the counter. The nurse smiled and nodded, then daintily walked off without a word to heal them. I glanced at Kotone briefly.

She was puffing her cheeks out, giving a cross-eyed look ahead to a Chansey. The Pokémon stared in confusion at her behavior, then smiled and returned the look by poking her tongue out childishly.

"What are you doing?" Despite my attempt at being serious, I cracked a grin. She straightened up and jumped whenever I spoke.

"U-uhh, nothing!" Waving her hands, the girl shook her head in panic, while the Chansey laughed and walked away.

"Here you are~! All healthy and happy! Take care!" Nurse Joy returned and handed back our parties, then curtsied politely and danced away.

"Now come on! Let's go!" Grabbing my arm, Kotone happily dashed out of the Pokémon Center, and I had no choice but to stumble along with her.

**Oh my God I am so sorry all of you who read this-It takes so incredibly long to post these because of a few reasons: 1. School. 2. Motivation is lacking. Ack, I swear I will try and work on it more! But thank you for reading anyway~**


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